Pope Francis Talks Armenian Genocide

Pope Francis Makes A Strong Statement About Armenian Genocide

It isn't very
often that the names Kim Kardashian and Pope Francis come up together in
conversation, but here we are.

While the Kardashian family embarks on a highly
publicized tour of their ancestral homeland Armenia, Pope Francis has made a landmark statement regarding the
country's often overlooked genocide.

During a Mass at
St. Peter's Basilica celebrating the Armenian Catholic rite, Pope Francis
referred to the deaths of nearly 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the
Ottoman Turks in the early 1900s as "the first genocide of the 20th
century."

"Concealing
or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging
it," Francis proclaimed. Armenia's forgotten history is a huge point of contention, especially with Turkey.

The Pope's comments have
already sparked a rift between the church and Turkey, who denies that the
genocide ever occurred.

"The pope's
statement which is far from historic and legal truths is unacceptable," Mevlut
Cavusoglu, Turkey's Foreign Minister, said on Twitter. "Religious
positions are not places where unfounded claims are made and hatred is stirred."

Francis is
not backing down on his stance. The pope, who has close ties to the Armenian
culture, defended his proclamation in a subsequent statement.

He called on all
heads of states and international leaders to officially recognize the killings
in Armenia as a genocide "without ceding to ambiguity or compromise."